The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making (Fairyland #1) by Catherynne M. Valente

Synopsis

Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn’t . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland (goodreads.com)

Review

Wow! I love this book! It is officially on my favorite books list!! If you love Alice in Wonderland (or even didn’t like I did) you will adore this book. It is similar to Alice in Wonderland and has that same peculiarity about it, but I found the characters and the story much more enjoyable. It has all the makings of a great fairy-tale!

Plot

I have to admit that I had a hard time beginning the novel since it was really strange and was filled with nonsense, which is what I didn’t like about other books written like this. This book is just filled with things that are very weird; almost too strange for me. However, I stuck with it for a couple of chapters and became hooked! I loved the story and how it moved at just the right speed after the first couple chapters. There were some peculiar and amazing things that happened to September that will keep you interested until the very end. It was also hilarious in some parts too! I found myself laughing when I read about A-Through-L, and the Velocipedes. I think even people who find that they really like Alice in Wonderland may just like this even more.

There wasn’t an overabundance of detail throughout the story. It focused more on the characters rather than the setting, but there was still plenty of information to paint a picture. For a young adult novel (or even children) it was perfectly detailed in my opinion. Also, since there are more books in this series I am sure we will learn even more about the world of Fairyland and its inhabitants.

Characters

I adored all the characters in this story! Who wouldn’t love to have A-Through-L as a traveling companion? He is a hilarious wyverary; half library, half wyvern who loves books, wants to become a librarian, and believes his father to be a library! He also knows lots of things but only if they start with A-L. So funny! There are many more enjoyable characters throughout the story that are just as silly as this wyverary and you will love them all! I thought the characters were very well developed and interesting, and I can’t say that I have any complaints about them. Amazing set of characters in an amazingly engrossing story!

Writing

I thought the novel was beautifully written, and easy to understand. There were also some parts of the story that children wont understand (don’t need too) that are funny for adults. This story just begs to be read aloud! Oh! I can’t forget to mention that the drawings which begin each chapter are beautifully done as well.

Overall Thoughts

I really enjoyed the story and felt that it is a perfect book for any child (even though its a young adult novel) who enjoys fantasy stories. I could go on and on about how each character was amazing and tell you all about them, but I think one was enough. The joy I got out of reading the book was discovering all these characters for myself. If you love fantasy stories and feel like reading something a little strange and funny, then you will most definitely enjoy this book! I can’t wait to read the other books in this series! Don’t worry though because this book can easily stand alone.

Life Update!

Our move is finally over and we are settling into our new place. It’s a slow process but we are getting there.

I’ve just started homeschooling my son who is now in 1st grade and it’s going great!

I don’t know why but for months now I have been in the biggest reading slump I have ever had. I couldn’t read anything and actually enjoy it. I think I finally overcame it by managing to get through The Screaming Staircase. It was a great read and I will be posting my review soon.